AlSerkal Avenue

Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue is ideal if you’re looking for contemporary culture and art with a regional twist. Established by Alserkal – a socially responsible UAE-based cultural enterprise deeply engaged with the local, regional, and international art scenes – this renowned cultural district is home to contemporary art galleries, non-profit organisations, and homegrown businesses, including some great urban-edgy cafes.

Sprawling across 500,000 square feet in Dubai’s Al Quoz industrial area, this vibrant community welcomes the UAE’s visual and performing arts organisations, designers, and artisanal spaces, offering an essential platform for the nation’s creative industries while also cultivating a creative economy, supporting cultural production, and spearheading disruptive business models.

Alserkal Avenue’s impressive, multi-disciplinary space – known as Concrete – was the first building in the UAE to be completed by the Office for Metropolitan Architecture (OMA), founded by Rem Koolhaas. Inaugurated in 2017, Concrete was shortlisted for the 2019 Aga Khan Award for Architecture, becoming the first project in Dubai ever to be shortlisted for this prestigious title. The versatile venue’s ability to metamorphose and bring creative visions to life makes it ideal for international and museum-grade exhibitions, as well as for events spanning art, design, fashion and performance.